ECONOMICS OF DEVELOPMENT

Economics and Justice

Jeffrey D. Sachs

Does free trade bring progress or misery to countries that open themselves to unbridled globalization? Are economics and the search for equality enemies? What assistance strategies should rich countries pursue in the developing world?

RECENT COMMENTARIES

FEATURED COMMENTARIES

Sustainable Humanity

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2012-01-31

Sustainable development means inclusive economic growth that protects the earth’s vital resources. Yet achieving it will be a matter not only of technology, market incentives, and appropriate regulations; we must embrace sustainable development as a common commitment to decency for all human beings, today and in the future.... read

Comments: 9 Recommended: 3 Read: 12087

The Power of Living in Truth

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2011-12-20

The world’s greatest shortage is not of oil, clean water, or food, but of moral leadership. So let us pause to express gratitude to Václav Havel, who died this month, for enabling a generation to gain the chance to live in truth.... read

Comments: 7 Recommended: 0 Read: 19710

Services without Tears

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2011-11-24

A famous claim in economics is that the costs of services (such as health care and education) tend to increase relative to the costs of goods (such as food, oil, and machinery). But a sharp decline in the costs of health care, education, and other services is now possible, thanks to the ongoing revolution in information and communications technology.... read

Comments: 4 Recommended: 0 Read: 22941

A Nation of Vidiots

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2011-10-28

The US led the world into the television age, and the implications can be seen most directly in America’s long love affair with what Harlan Ellison memorably called “the glass teat.” The consequences for American society are profound, troubling, and a warning to the world – though it probably comes far too late to be heeded.... read

Comments: 5 Recommended: 2 Read: 33130

Globalization’s Government

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2011-09-30

In the era of globalization, we need more government, not less. Yet the role of government also needs to be modernized, in line with the specific challenges posed by an interconnected world economy.... read

Comments: 16 Recommended: 2 Read: 30284

The Economics of Happiness

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2011-08-29

The mad pursuit of corporate profits is threatening us all. To be sure, we should support economic growth and development, but only in a broader context: one that promotes environmental sustainability and the values of compassion and honesty that are required for social trust.... read

Comments: 33 Recommended: 4 Read: 94719

Famine and Hope in the Horn of Africa

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2011-07-31

Once more, famine stalks the Horn of Africa, where more than ten million people are fighting for survival, mainly pastoralist communities in the hyper-arid regions of Somalia, Ethiopia, and northern Kenya. But the current crisis could yet mark the start of regional recovery and development.... read

Comments: 3 Recommended: 1 Read: 19865

Ban Ki-moon and the Age of Sustainable Development

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2011-06-24

The world can breathe easier with the reelection this month of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to a second term in office. During the past five years, Ban has embodied the unity that a fractious world needs, both in his unique personal diplomacy and in his role as head of the world’s indispensable global organization.... read

Comments: 2 Recommended: 0 Read: 22605

A World of Regions

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2011-05-25

In almost every part of the world, long-festering problems can be solved through closer cooperation among neighboring countries. So why do most regional groupings remain too weak to address their members’ pressing needs?... read

Comments: 2 Recommended: 0 Read: 24774

The Global Economy’s Corporate Crime Wave	Jeffrey D. Sachs
"Money doesn't talk; it swears," as Bob Dylan once wrote, and it is corrupting politics and markets around the world. Indeed, the explosion of corporate crime – in the US, Europe, China, India, Africa, Brazil, and beyond – raises a host of challenging questions about its causes, and about how to control it now that it has reached epidemic proportions.... read

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America’s Ungovernable Budget

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2011-01-31

Politicians can make endless promises, but if the government's budget doesn’t add up, politics is little more than mere words. The US is now caught in such a bind, because taxes are too low to fund adequate government services, and to propose raising them would be political suicide.... read

Comments: 4 Recommended: 1 Read: 30341

Reconstructing Haiti

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2010-01-25

Rebuilding Haiti will cost perhaps $10-$20 billion, and will require much of the coming decade. Getting started now will save countless lives and prevent a further tragic downward spiral of a society that stands at the very brink of survival.... read

Comments: 4 Recommended: 2 Read: 30237

Obama Undermines the UN Climate Process

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2009-12-20

Two years of climate change negotiations have now ended in a farce in Copenhagen. Barack Obama’s decision to declare a phony negotiating victory amounts to a declaration that rich countries will do what they want and must no longer listen to the “pesky” concerns of many smaller and poorer countries.... read

Comments: 3 Recommended: 1 Read: 13234

Peace Through Development

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2009-05-20

American foreign policy has failed in recent years mainly because the US relied on military force to address problems that demand development assistance and diplomacy. Although Barack Obama has raised hopes for a new strategy, so far the forces of continuity in US policy are dominating the forces of change.... read

Comments: 2 Recommended: 1 Read: 31921

The Global Economy’s Corporate Crime Wave

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2011-04-30

"Money doesn't talk; it swears," as Bob Dylan once wrote, and it is corrupting politics and markets around the world. Indeed, the explosion of corporate crime – in the US, Europe, China, India, Africa, Brazil, and beyond – raises a host of challenging questions about its causes, and about how to control it now that it has reached epidemic proportions.... read

Comments: 19 Recommended: 3 Read: 52511

Lessons From the North

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2006-04-21

Fewer debates over economics would be needed if the world spent more time examining what actually works and what does not. Almost everywhere, debate has raged about how to combine market forces and social security. The left calls for an expansion of social protection; the right says that doing so would undermine economic growth and widen fiscal deficits.... read

Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 51199

Who Beats Corruption?

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2005-12-23

Corruption undermines the quality of life for people around the world, not only in poor countries. The US currently is witnessing several corruption scandals. Even America’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, responsible for providing relief after natural disasters and man-made catastrophes, was in the hands of inept political cronies rather than professionals. When hurricane Katrina struck America’s Gulf Coast, that incompetence proved fatal.... read

Comments: 1 Recommended: 0 Read: 50513

The Case Against Emergency Food Aid

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2005-08-19

Niger’s food emergency has reached the world’s headlines, but the crisis there is only one part of a much larger disaster. On an extended trip this summer through rural areas of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa on behalf of the United Nations, I visited countless villages afflicted with extreme hunger and struggling to survive against the odds. ... read

Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 46216

Bush Inherits the Wind

Jeffrey D. Sachs Series: Economics and Justice

2005-09-20

The most shocking statement in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was President George W. Bush’s remark that “I don’t think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees” that protect New Orleans from flooding. New Orleans is a city mostly below sea level, and must be protected by levees to keep water out. Concern that the levees might break in the midst of a powerful hurricane was widespread among scientists, engineers, and emergency-preparedness experts. Yet Bush apparently did not know of these concerns, even days after the hurricane destroyed the levees and flooded the city. ... read

Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 46046

Development Aid for Development’s Sake	Jeffrey D. Sachs
Almost daily, the United States and Europe brandish threats to impose economic sanctions or cut off development assistance unless some vulnerable government accepts their political strictures. The most recent threats are towards the new Hamas-led government in Palestine. Other recent examples include threats vis-à-vis Chad, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Bolivia, Uganda, and long-standing sanctions against Myanmar. ... read
Changing Climate Change	Jeffrey D. Sachs
The 10 warmest years on record have all occurred since 1990, and 2005 is likely to be the warmest ever. This year, we’ve gotten a taste of the many kinds of dangers that lie ahead: more extreme hurricanes, massive droughts, forest fires, spreading infectious diseases, and floods. The climate is changing, and more is yet to come. ... read

AUTHOR INFO

Jeffrey D. Sachs

Jeffrey D. Sachs is Professor of Economics and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. He is also Special Adviser to United Nations Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals.

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